More than a month after she was last seen alive, police in Kentucky believe they located the remains of a missing 4-year-old girl. Chloe Darnell and her guardian, Brittany Slaughter, 24, were considered missing by the Whitley County Sheriff's Department, which asked for help locating the pair and a red 2009 Mitsubishi Lancer. Days after the department put out a plea for help from the public, they made a shocking discovery.
According to a Facebook post, the sheriff's department received multiple leads during the investigation that led them to the car and, ultimately, the remains of a child. Now, Slaughter and her boyfriend, 34-year-old Adam Hayes, are in custody, facing murder charges.
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Investigators followed multiple leads in the case.
In the post, the sheriff's office said it was working many angles in the case and was looking for the car. They suspected Slaughter was driving it prior to the time she and Chloe went missing.
"The last known licenses plate number was KY 291-RKD. The vehicle in question is not currently registered and the title was never transferred from the previous owner, there isn't a current registered owner, nor current licenses plate number," the sheriff's office explained.
Authorities gave limited details.
Because the investigation was ongoing, investigators were cautious about telling the public too much, but did make Chloe and Slaughter an integral part of the investigation. In two separate posts on November 16, the sheriff's office said it had seized the vehicle in question and, later that day, announced they had found Slaughter. At that point, Chloe remained unaccounted for.
The next day, the sheriff's office announced it found human remains.
Although the sheriff's department sent the remains to the coroner's office for identification, police announced, "A body, believed to be that of Chloe Darnel, has been recovered and sent to the state medical examiner's office in Frankfort for an autopsy and positive identification. This is still an active investigation and further charges could be possible."
Chloe's family tried to explain the child's living situation on social media.
Per a GoFundMe started by a family member, Chloe reportedly has seven siblings who are in the custody of various family members, including Slaughter, because her parents are allegedly addicted to drugs. Jessica Gearhart, Chloe's aunt, claimed Slaughter manipulated the family and was allegedly not taking care of Chloe the way it seemed.
"Brittany manipulated all of us. Just 2 weeks ago Brittany asked me to help get Chloe's medical card fixed because she needed to take her for shots. This told me she's taking care of Chloe she cares about her going to the Dr. And she also asked me to help her sign up for cash assistance so she could get her car title done and get tags and insurance so she could get a job," she wrote.
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What actually happened to Chloe remains a mystery.
According to Gearhart, "Alex, the ex boyfriend, told her Brittany told him on November 4. That her and adam woke up one morning about a month ago and and the door was opened they havent been able to find chloe since. So my aunt and my niece then went to Adams and was asking to see Brittany and Chloe. He wouldn't let them. This was late at night."
She alleged cryptic messages were sent back and forth and that the family contacted police to report Slaughter and Chloe missing. Sadly, the investigation led to a child's remains.
The sheriff's office says Slaughter and Hayes have both been arrested and charged with murder, abuse of a corpse, and tampering with physical evidence.
If you suspect child abuse, you can call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-422-4453 (1-800-4-A-Child) or go to Childhelp.org. The hotline is available 24/7.
